“BALOCHISTAN cries out for rehabilitation effort,” writes Faiza Ilyas (Dec 10). It has been three months since the floods came and water is still standing. She says that 156 people lost their lives during the flood that has hit Jafferabad and Nasirabad. The report highlights that the floods devastated Jafferabad, Naseerabad and Jhal Magsi villages in 2010 also. The 2010 floods were a surprise, though the subsequent floods are not.
Experts are saying that floods will become more frequent due to climate change. Why don’t we change with the change. Instead of farming mustard crop only as written in the report, why don’t we consider fish farming?
After the massive 2010 floods in Badin, some progressive farmers switched over to fish farming in the stagnant pool of floodwaters with major economic gains. Fish farming, they say, makes more money per acre than any of the crops, Fishery experts can qualify this statement.
While travelling by road in China, I observed that every Chinese village has a large man-made lake. This lake is segregated into two parts, one is reserved for prawns and the other for fish.
Hundreds of pet ducks and geese live in and around these lakes. The ducks eat weeds from the pond, and the fish survive on duck droppings. In addition to this, the ducks provide meat and eggs for the villagers.
S. N. IQBAL RAZA Karachi
